High Power Distance Research Articles

Virtual reality in retailing: a meta-analysis to determine the purchase and non-purchase behavioural intention of consumers

PurposeThe purpose of this meta-analysis is to encapsulate the outcomes and generate meaningful conclusions by examining the factors that influence consumers' purchase and non-purchase behaviour intention in a virtual reality retailing context.Design/methodology/approachThis study integrates the outcomes from 52 studies, including 403 relationships involving 19,188 samples. The analysis was conducted using R-metafor and AMOS software.FindingsThe findings indicate that key factors that influence purchase and non-purchase behavioural intentions are virtual reality (VR)characteristics, virtual reality experience and consumer attitudes. VR experience is the strongest predictor for purchase decisions in virtual environment ,while consumer attitude towards VR most strongly influences the non-purchase behaviour of the consumers. Furthermore, the age of the respondents, cultural backgrounds (high vs low power distance) and gender moderate the relationship between consumers' attitudes and purchase and behaviour intentions.Practical implicationsMarketers can positively influence consumer attitudes and behavioural intentions by prioritizing the design of the virtual environment and facilitating unique experiences (by manipulating different sensory stimuli) in virtual retailing.Originality/valueThe current meta-analysis reconciles and reinforces the findings in the extant literature and provides a robust empirical generalization of the critical factors that influence consumers' purchase or behavioural intentions in a virtual retailing context.

Vicarious Empowerment as a Novel Mechanism for Empowering High Power Distance Employees

Prior research has questioned the utility of empowerment for high power distance employees. Rather than abandon empowerment in these contexts, we test the plausibility of empowering high power distance employees vicariously through observation, normalization and legitimization of empowered behavior. Extending theories of empowerment and social cognition to account for cultural norms, we provide evidence for the effectiveness of vicarious empowerment among those with high power distance. From a sample of 3,383 employees in 10 companies across six countries, we find a positive association between vicarious empowerment and subjective unit performance, that this relationship is mediated by empowerment climate, and that the indirect effect is moderated by power distance orientation. These relationships contrast with prior research which examines more traditional forms of empowerment across cultures. We explain how our findings inform theory on cross-cultural organizational psychology and workplace empowerment.

Cultural diversity of the corporate board and stock price informativeness

This study aims to investigate the impact of the cultural diversity of the corporate board on stock price Informativeness. The study provides empirical evidence from Pakistan stock exchange. We examine how cultural dimensions (individualism, masculinity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance) affect stock Informativeness. Most of the previous studies analyzed culture from an investor’s perspective, but in this study, the cultural dimensions of a corporate board are being explored. The study employs the GMM (generalized method of moment) for empirical analysis because this method eliminates the endogeneity concerns. The study considers the companies from Pakistan stock exchange’s KSE 100 index from 2009 to 2019. The cultural diversity of the board is computed after analyzing 6451 directors from 43 different countries. The results show that the corporate board's cultural diversity has significant and positive impact on stock price informativeness. Furthermore, the boards having members from high power distance and masculine cultures are negatively associated with stock price informativeness, while the individualistic and uncertainty avoidance cultures are positively linked with stock price informativeness. In conclusion, we suggests that regulators should encourage board diversity as it helps companies and corporate boards in eliminating information asymmetries and consequently enhancing the stock price informativeness. Increase in stock infromativenss helps investors in making better investment decisions.

Host country cultural profile and the performance of foreign subsidiaries in Latin America

While cultural distance (CD) is a popular construct in international business (IB), most studies confound the distance and country profile effects. There is an ever-growing debate on measurement issues and distinguishing the effect of doing business in countries with different cultural profiles. While the vast majority of studies focus on the implications of CD, the objective of this study is to investigate how the cultural profile in the host country affects the financial performance of foreign subsidiaries in Latin America. We employ a quantitative approach with panel data, including over 4200 firm-year observations of the same foreign subsidiary firms in the 10 largest economies in Latin America. We measure cultural profile of the host country using the four original dimensions of Hofstede's framework. Then, we estimate the effects on the financial performance of foreign subsidiary firms using the original scale and by splitting the scale (e.g. degree of masculinity vs degree of femininity) to compare the effects of the opposite poles of the cultural dimensions. The findings reveal that certain cultural characteristics in the host country profile (e.g., individualism and femininity) positively impact performance. In contrast, other cultural traits have a negative (masculinity and collectivism) or no significant impact (uncertainty avoidance). Also, the firms can adjust positively to high and low power distance scores in the host country. This study offers novel insights into the implications of national culture for financial performance by showing that the host country's cultural profile significantly impacts foreign subsidiary firms’ performance.

Luxury Goods as a Determinant of the Status of Top Managers – Perspective of the Young Generation with a High Power Distance

The future of business and its further development rests in the hands of the young generation, the people who will soon perform various roles in companies that are part of the business. The article presents the results of the study with the following three objectives: to explain young people's distance to the power exercised by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO); to discover the young generation’s views on the CEO displaying their high status (high position) in the company in terms of power distance; to check whether there is any correlation between the belief in the CEO exceptionality and the acceptance of luxurious determinants of the CEO status.
 The study, aimed at clarifying the above issues, was carried out on a group of 773 participants. According to the survey, 16.7% of survey respondents recognized the CEO as an exceptional person, 41.9% would feel intimidated when dealing with them, and 49.1% would obey the CEO and follow their instructions without questioning. People with such attitudes and views are characterized by a medium and large distance from the CEO power. The survey revealed that, among the younger generation, there are more opposing opinions than accepting the CEO displaying their status using luxury goods. The authors showed that there is no link between recognizing the CEO as a special person who deserves being admired and imitated (high power distance), and the belief that the CEO should demonstrate their high status using luxury goods.

A Comparative Study of International and Local School Teachers’ Perceptions and Enactments of Humility in Hong Kong

Abstract While humility has been widely explored philosophically and psychologically, there is little research on humility in educational settings. Based on semi-structured interviews with teachers from local and international schools, we investigated the role of humility in the pedagogy and wider contexts of schools in Hong Kong. Both international and local teachers regarded humility as being important for education, but they conceptualized and enacted it differently, reflecting the high power distance of Hong Kong’s Confucian heritage culture and teacher-centeredness of traditional Chinese education, and the more social constructivist form of pedagogy in international education. These findings provide a lens to understand how teaching and teacher-student relations are shaped by cultural, pedagogical, and educational philosophies and practices in different educational settings.

Deeper look into feedback practice in an Indonesian context: exploration of factors in undergraduate clinical settings.

The practice of feedback is influenced by the characteristics of students, teachers, and the clinical environment. Most studies on feedback have been conducted in Western settings with different sociocultural backgrounds to Indonesia. This study explores feedback in Indonesian clinical clerkship using a sociocultural lens and aims to provide an exemplar of adaptive practice relevant to non-Western settings. This qualitative study was conducted using an interpretive phenomenology approach. Data were collected through focus groups with students and teachers and interviews with program coordinators. Data were transcribed verbatim and grouped according to data sources, coded, and analyzed thematically. Themes identified from the focus group discussions and interviews were categorized as student, teacher, and environmental factors. Student factors include dependence on feedback, tendencies to use a group approach, difficulties recognizing social rules, a perceived lack of resilience, and tendencies to doubt praise. Factors related to teachers include a high level of expertise, being extremely busy, having a strong commitment, and being unsure of students' acceptance of feedback. Clinical environment factors influence interactions between teachers and learners and include high power distance and collectivistic values. A safe environment is needed to ensure effective feedback interactions. High power distance, collectivism, and generational characteristics of students likely impact feedback practice in clinical settings. Designing a safe environment is essential for effective feedback practice.

Prioritizing Safety Climate Improvements in the Indonesian Construction Industry Using Supervised Classification

Despite its significance, the Indonesian construction industry has poor safety performance. Improving the safety climate has been seen as a way to improve safety in the industry. Research on safety climate in this context has identified a range of safety climate factors that require improvements. However, construction organizations face difficulties in implementing improvement recommendations due to resource constraints. In order to help construction organizations in their efforts to improve the safety climate, this research demonstrates the use of supervised classification approaches to identify specific safety climate factors that construction organizations should focus on. Data were collected from 311 construction practitioners in Indonesia using a 22-item safety climate survey. Supervised classification methods, comprising ensemble methods, Support Vector Machine, Naïve Bayes, and Nearest Neighbor, were used. The analysis identified 14 safety climate items that can represent the original dataset with high accuracy (93%). These 14 items can be considered crucial items that should be prioritized in the Indonesian construction industry. These items revealed that, due to the high power distance culture in Indonesia, top-down approaches, such as giving clear instructions, providing training, and reminding people often about safety, are effective for engaging employees to focus on and participate in safety. The findings also suggest that understanding cultural context is important to determine effective strategies to improve safety. This research has also demonstrated the potential application of supervised classification approaches to help decision makers improve safety by focusing on crucial factors within a context.

Breach not only affects you: the influence of coworker psychological contract breach by the supervisor on third-party perceptions of supervisor interactional justice

Understanding and effectively responding to employee psychological contract (PC) breach is a critical task for human resource (HR) managers. Drawing on social information processing theory and the deontic theory of justice and using two separate studies, Study 1 (an experiment) and Study 2 (a two-wave field study), the study proposes and tests a conceptualization that helps to explicate the implications of PC breach from the perspective of the third-party employee. Specifically, supporting our hypotheses, we found that when a third-party observer perceives a coworker’s PC breach perpetrated by their common focal supervisor that this negatively influences the third-party’s perceptions of the supervisor’s interactional justice (i.e., both interpersonal and informational) and that such a relationship is moderated by the extent of the third-party’s guanxi with the supervisor. Moreover, our findings further reveal that when a third-party observer with high guanxi with the supervisor also has a high power distance orientation (PDO), that the negative effects associated with the perceived coworker PC breach will be weakened. The study not only responds to scholars’ calls but it improves understanding of how the relational context may distort third-party perceptions of social treatment and justice-related behavior. Implications to theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

The Influence Mechanism of Owners' Safety Management Behavior on Construction Workers' Safety Citizenship Behavior.

The safety citizenship behavior (SCB) of construction workers can improve project safety performance. This study explored how construction company owners' safety management behavior contributes to the development and encouragement of SCB. It combined the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) and Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theories to propose relevant hypotheses and develop a theoretical model to examine the effect of owners' safety management behavior on construction workers' SCB. Data from 534 construction workers were collected through questionnaires. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) were used for empirical analysis. It was found that the owner's safety management behavior positively affected the construction workers' SCB. In particular, work engagement played an intermediary role, while power distance exhibited a moderating effect. A few noteworthy findings are that proactive safety behavior is significantly positively influenced by organization and coordination, prosocial safety behavior is significantly positively influenced by safety funding investment, and high power distance is not always bad for construction workers' safety citizenship behavior. By determining the connection between owners' safety management behavior and construction workers' SCB, this study offered a fresh perspective on promoting construction workers' proactive behavior and put forward suggestions for owners to improve project safety management.

Corporate entrepreneurship in a collectivist culture: the role of time availability

PurposeThis study aims to investigate whether the model containing five organisational determinants of corporate entrepreneurship developed by Kuratko, Hornsby and Covin is valid in Serbia.Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested on a sample that included managers and employees from four banks in Serbia. The Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument (CEAI) was used as the research instrument and factor analysis was used as the basic statistical method. This study examined whether the 48 items that compose the CEAI could be grouped in the context of the national culture of Serbia to provide the five determinants that were identified by Kuratko, Hornsby and Covin.FindingsThe results show that the factor analysis identified four determinants identical to those in the CEAI model. However, time availability failed the validity test in previous studies conducted in Serbia and other countries with collectivist cultures. It can be concluded that collectivism connected with high-power distance, uncertainty avoidance and the polychromatic concept of time caused the cultural limitation of time availability as a determinant of corporate entrepreneurship.Originality/valueThis study indicates that national culture could be a factor that determines the validity of organisational determinants of corporate entrepreneurship and that these factors cannot be taken for granted in cultures other than those in which the theory of corporate entrepreneurship arose. Finally, corporate entrepreneurship has been investigated in the banking industry, which is unusual because it is globally renowned for its conservatism.

What cultural values determine student self-efficacy? An empirical study for 42 countries and economies.

Self-efficacy is a vital personal characteristic for student success. However, the challenge of cross-cultural comparisons remains as scalar invariance is hard to be satisfied. Also, it is unclear how to contextually understand student self-efficacy in light of cultural values in different countries. This study implements a novel alignment optimization method to rank the latent means of student self-efficacy of 308,849 students in 11,574 schools across 42 countries and economies that participated in the 2018 Program in International Student Assessment. We then used classification and regression trees to classified countries with differential latent means of student self-efficacy into groups according to Hofstede's six cultural dimensions theory. The results of the alignment method recovered that Albania, Colombia, and Peru had students with the highest mean self-efficacy, while Slovak Republic, Moscow Region (RUS), and Lebanon had the lowest. Moreover, the CART analysis indicated a low student self-efficacy for countries presenting three features: (1) extremely high power distance; (2) restraint; and (3) collectivism. These findings theoretically highlighted the significance of cultural values in shaping student self-efficacy across countries and practically provided concrete suggestions to educators on which countries to emulate such that student self-efficacy could be promoted and informed educators in secondary education institutes on the international expansion of academic exchanges.

Dean Concept from The Perspective of The Faculty of Science and Literature Students

The aim of the study is determined how university students conceptualize and perceive the concept of dean through metaphors. In the study, phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used, and a purposeful sampling technique was used to determine the participants. A total of 101 students studying at Bingöl University Faculty of Literature in the 2020-2021 academic year were included in the research. The “content analysis” technique was used to analyze the data. According to the results of the research, the categories in terms of frequency; authorized (f=19), unreachable and unknown (f=17), guiding and enlightening (f=17), guarding and protecting (f=14), solution-generating (f=10), basic need (f=8) useful and valuable (f=7) useless and unreliable (f=6), and biased (f=3); It is seen that there are categories. As a result of the research, with the effect of the high-power distance in Turkish society, it has been determined that Bingöl University Faculty of Arts and Sciences students have the perception that it will not be possible to reach the dean and the dean and have a paternalist perspective. Considering students’ perceptions and expectations, deans are recommended to act with open communication and a management approach that is closer to the student. Keywords: Authority; Dean; High power distance; Paternalism; Unreachable.

POWER-DISTANCE & POLITICAL APATHY: SURVEY OF FACULTY MEMBERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

The culture in Hofstede's work offered a lens through which to view cross-cultural disparities. The model proposes the concept of 'power distance (PD)' as means of understanding the gap between authority and power between governors/leaders and the governed/followers. 'Political apathy' (PA) and alienation are common among citizens who experience high power distance (High-PD). Citizens are more likely to get involved in politics, vote, and take action when there is less of a gap between them and those in the power. The purpose of this research was to quantify the quality of these connection from the perspective of academics at Thal University Bhakkar, Punjab Pakistan. The results of study provide significant information about the existence of the potential relationships between variables which thus help in reaching the desired conclusion. The positive and negative associations between PD and PA and PP are supported by field research. It will be crucial for stakeholders to adapt their strategies and practices in light of the recommendations made in the field study.

Using approach-inhibition theory of power to explain how participative decision-making enhances innovative work behavior of high power distance-oriented employees

PurposeThis research study investigated the relationship between participative decision-making and innovative work behavior by considering the moderating role of power distance orientation of individuals. Grounded in the approach-inhibition theory of power, the authors proposed that participative decision-making could mitigate perceived power gap and motivate individuals with high power distance orientation to engage more in innovative work behavior.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 243 faculty members from 2 universities located at Dhaka, Bangladesh. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis.FindingsThe results from the model estimation showed that the positive relationship between participative decision-making and innovative work behavior was stronger among faculty members with high power distance orientation than those with low power distance orientation. The simple slope analysis also clarified the fact that faculty members with high power distance orientation could increase their innovative work behavior to be at the same level as that of faculty members with low power distance orientation when the members were involved highly in participative decision-making.Practical implicationsParticipative decision-making is a management practice that should be implemented in order to motivate faculty members to actively engage in innovative work behavior. Particularly for faculty members who are sensitive towards the power status of other members in the workplace, this management practice is highly recommended to lessen the perceived social barrier that discourages these faculty members from engaging in innovative work behavior.Originality/valueThe authors' research advanced knowledge from prior studies by offering new theoretical insight into the role of empowerment practice that could motivate individuals with high power distance orientation to engage more in innovative practices.

A global perspective on combatingShanzhaiproducts: Cross‐cultural solutions

AbstractTo compete on the world market, companies from emerging economies often adapt their innovations to satisfy unique cultural needs. They do so, in part, by copying the products of their western counterparts with a degree of modification. This approach is referred to asShanzhai,which is a Chinese neologism meaning “copycat.” In this article, we discuss theShanzhaiphenomenon and explainShanzhai'sdevelopment stages and threats to original brands across the globe. Then, we examine how cultural factors (i.e., power distance belief, face consciousness, and analytic vs. holistic‐thinking style) influence consumers’ perception towardsShanzhaiproducts. We further suggest that original manufacturers should adopt selected strategies to combatShanzhaithreats vis‐à‐vis three cultural drivers. One driver entails launching full product lines and developing new distribution channels in high power distance belief cultures but promoting brand originality in low power distance belief cultures. A second alternative involves embracing a sustainable and green brand image in low face‐sensitive cultures but strengthening brand logo impacts and enhancing intangible brand benefits—such as social value (e.g., brand user profile, prestige)—in high face‐sensitive cultures. The third entails communicating integrated product values in holistic‐thinking cultures but highlighting an offering's most competitive and unique features in analytic‐thinking cultures.

Tall ghosts, Chopsticks and Monitor Lizards: Name-calling and its Perpetrators in the Cultural Context of Thailand

Abstract While name-calling has been associated with several adverse effects on students’ well-being, it is often overlooked, particularly if understood as harmless teasing. Scholars have stressed that not only the intention of the name-caller but also the perception of the receiver should be considered. Such perceptions can be influenced by cultural value orientations, which remain understudied but gain importance with the increasing internationalisation of education. This study explores name-calling in the context of Thailand, a prototypical collectivist, high power distance society, which has shown a high prevalence of verbal bullying. This study conducted 95 autobiographical written narratives and 20 in-depth interviews of past and current name-calling experiences with Thai university students. Findings revealed that friends, teachers, and parents frequently called students names, which were primarily related to students’ skin colour and weight. Despite its adverse effects, name-calling was often normalised and accepted as part of Thai culture. Values including collectivism, conflict avoidance, social harmony, being considerate and shared enjoyment appeared to discourage students from defending themselves against friends, who were frequently identified as name-callers. Teachers regularly called students hurtful names, particularly when taking attendance, entertaining the class, asking questions, and addressing performance, which seemed to be reinforced by the societal norm of showing respect to people of high status.

Corporate digitalization, managerial power distance and corporate sustainability performance: evidence from China

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of managerial power distance on the corporate sustainability performance of Chinese firms and to explore the regulatory role of corporate digitalization in the Chinese capital market.Design/methodology/approachThe study collects data from 2,632 A-share Chinese non-financial firms listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges during the period from 2010 to 2020. The authors apply different panel data regression techniques (fixed effects, GMM-System) to investigate the impact of managerial power distance on corporate sustainability performance and to explore the regulatory role of corporate digitalization in the Chinese capital market.FindingsThe results of the study show a positive relationship between high managerial power distance and the sustainability performance of Chinese non-financial firms. This positive relationship is particularly pronounced in Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The results also show that corporate digitalization increases the sustainability performance of Chinese firms. Further, corporate digitalization weakens the positive relationship between high-power distance and the sustainability performance of Chinese firms. These results are robust to alternate sustainability performance measures and various regression techniques.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the regulating impact of corporate digitalization on the relationship between managerial power distance and corporate sustainability performance in China.

‘I am surrounded by people who are not motivated to do research’: harnessing collegiality for developing research active academics in a teaching-focused institution

ABSTRACT In order to achieve a university status, a teaching-focused private Malaysian University College promoted collaboration as an institution-wide strategy for developing the research capacity of staff. Enhancing collegiality was key to this strategy since resources for building research capacity were insufficient. Limited research exists on the role of collegiality in developing research capacities among academics, especially in the Global South and under such constraints. In Malaysia, a high-power distance country, difficulties arise in the practice of collegiality due to hierarchy and other socio-cultural expectations. In this qualitative study, insights into and experiences of this transition were sought in interviews with 18 academics. Collegial leadership and intellectual collegiality were identified as pivotal. Collegial leadership, which addressed the relationship between academics and institutional leaders, was lacking and participants mostly felt unsupported and disengaged under the dominant top-down, hierarchical, leadership style. Intellectual collegiality, which refers to the relationships participants had or wished to have with colleagues, was also challenging in that environment but held more promise. Actively promoting this through a process of assimilation and compromise could have been prioritised. Achievable and tangible research targets could have been negotiated so that becoming research active was a shared vision.

Preference for partner or servant brand roles depends on consumers’ power distance belief

Anthropomorphism nests in both, persuasion, and marketing communications. This research examines anthropomorphized digital advertising brand message frames as either a servant or a partner. Across five studies, we demonstrate that the relationship between anthropomorphized digital advertising and willingness to pay/purchase intention depends on individual power distance belief. Low power distance belief consumers respond to brand-as-a-partner advertising more favorably while high power distance belief consumers are indifferent across both frames (Studies 1a–c). This conditional positive effect of partner message frame for low power distance belief consumers is mediated by consumers’ righteous anger induced by the message frame (Study 2 & 3). We conclude with contributions to theory, implications for practice, and directions for future inquiries.